SPINY LOBSTER (Panulirus argus) Implementation of a minimum possession size

Possession Size Limit DNA analysis indicates a single stock structure for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Lipcius and Cobb, 1994; Silberman and Walsh 1994) throughout its range. Approximately 90 percent of the Caribbean spiny lobster marketed in the United States is harvested by foreign fisheries managed by Central and South America countries.

Management Alternatives Action 1: Minimum Possession Size of Spiny Lobster products in the United States – Carapace Length Requirement AlternativeCarapace length 2> 3.0 inches; ≥ 3.5 inches in or from the Caribbean 3≥ 3.25 inches; ≥ 3.5 inches in or from the Caribbean 4≥ 3.5 inches 5None given

Rationale for Alternatives Alternative 2 would establish a minimum possession size equal to the least restrictive regulations for domestic spiny lobster harvest (the Gulf and South Atlantic spiny lobster FMP)

Rationale for Alternatives Alternative 3 would provide better resource protection. Most scientists would agree that with the increase in fishing pressure the average size of lobster captured is now below the size which allows reproduction of 50% of the females before they are harvested.

Rationale for Alternatives Alternative 4 would establish a minimum possession size equal to the more restrictive regulations for domestic spiny lobster harvest (Caribbean spiny lobster FMP)

Management Alternatives Action 1: Minimum Possession Size of Spiny Lobster products to the United States – Tail Length Requirement AlternativeTail length 2≥ 5.5 inches 3≥ 5.9 inches 4≥ 6.2 inches 5≥ 5.7 inches

Rationale for Alternatives All tail length measurements are based on Matthews et al., 2003 conversions from carapace length (CL) to tail length: Tail length = 1.71*CL Alternative 5 uses tail weight (industry standard) then derives a tail length form that weight

Management Alternatives Action 1: Minimum Possession Size of Spiny Lobster products to the United States – Tail Weight Requirement AlternativeTail weight 2≥ 4.2 oz 3≥ 5.0 oz 4≥ 5.9 oz 5≥ 4.5 oz

Rationale for Alternatives All tail weight measurements are based on Matthews et al., 2003 conversions from carapace length (CL) to tail weight: Tail weight = *CL** Alternative 5 uses tail weight (industry standard) as the primary measurement

Rationale for Alternatives Industry Packing - The seafood industry imports lobster tails based on sorted weight categories Therefore, a given tail weight category must be defined (i.e., Alternative 2 considers a 5 oz tail to be any tail in the range of oz)

Management Alternatives AlternativeTail weight 2≥ 4.2 oz; 5 oz tail = oz 3≥ 5.0 oz; 5 oz tail = oz 4≥ 5.9 oz; 6 oz tail = oz 5≥ 4.5 oz; 5 oz tail = oz

Management Alternatives Action 2: Other Possession Restrictions –Alternative 2: Prohibit possession of lobster tail meat –Alternative 3: Prohibit possession of spiny lobster with eggs attached or possession where the eggs, swimmerets, or pleopods have been removed or stripped

Management Alternatives Action 3: Develop a Framework to the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Spiny Lobster FMP for the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic